In as few words as possible:
Can you say what you like to be or do in role playing games. Short and sweet is best. Multiple short posts by the same person are fine (and helpful).
E.g.
Or
Or
…
Thank you!! I’m trying to improve the stats/classes/skills/intentions theory behind a WIP
Bard poisoner and everything based in charisma and cunning… assassins thieves ninjas, whores …
[quote] I like the evil power of necromancy - controlling people and resurrecting my enemies
or
Strong developing romance - with pc and npc character development within the relationship [/quote]
Assuming those are mutually exclusive ideas is a huge mistake from a design point of view – instead of looking at ‘or’ you should be looking at ‘and’.
Obviously ‘and’ has its limits, but when you look at games like Tin Star and Lost Heir, the design is all about ‘and’; which is what makes them so replay able and ostensibly comtributes to their popularity.
I still find joy in the fact that I can be a dragon rider AND a demon summoner; or be a Lawyer AND a doctor AND a priest AND have a fat fluff cat. (Always named Cat)
As a game designer you should be looking for places to give freedom of choice; not ways to restrict it by locking players into a single motive or class.
Being a furry. Damn straight I’ll be a shapeshifter, werewolf, anthropomorphic animal race, animal alien, talking animal, skinwearer, whatever. Damn right I’ll be proud of it, and I will definitely hate humans. If I can’t be one than I’ll date one and if I can date ome and be one 10 points to your Hogwarts house because I’m sold.
I like to also be nb because I am and I like nbs and am a nb and the only series I’ve seen so far that offers that option romantically and respectfully is VERSUS…
I like romance for my sweet little characters, even if I’m not too sold on it in real life. I like character development and the unique sides of characters you only see through
I’m a sucker for sweet fluffy scenes in otherwise gritty, dark and depressing stories. I basically live for the Hurt/Comfort fanfiction genre. The worse crap that’s gone down, the more I want cute.
But also vice versa: I will work towards being a terrible monster (or at least a raging asshole) in a sickly sweet environment, and being a cute rainbow beam of light and sugar in a cynical, dark story.
I have two favorite character styles that I love to play:
The first is a ranger, all about using terrain to my advantage, keeping my distance from opposition. A master archer.
The second is the innocent, in way over my head, but charismatic and/or hapless enough to survive. That’s the one I seem to be playing in my real life too, but it’s one of my very favorite roles to play as well in games.
Personally, I think the concept of a “good” necromancer is a lot more interesting than an inherently evil one. Most people tend to associate them with evil wizards that use walking corpses to do their bidding but really, necromancy is the art of communing with the deceased - they’re scholars of the soul, spirits and death - and they use spirits for the purpose of divination, guidance, discovery of hidden knowledge and warfare.
You can build an “animancer” character with these traits - someone who uses their skill for other people’s benefits in exchange for something they may want. You may unite soul-mates by combing their souls in the hopes of finding a match, allow a grieving mother a last reunion with her deceased child, further the understanding the “beyond”, decipher the nature of spirits - their purpose and origin, enlist their aid in order to solve a criminal case, etc.
But if that’s too much then I’ll settle with a ranger-druid character of fae origin. A doe centauress with dryad elements or even a faun be cool. 
In RPGs my playstyle seems to turn out as ‘morally faultless until someone pays me enough not to be’ 
Go out and read Garth Nix’s The Old Kingdom trilogy, if you haven’t already.
“Your work?” asked the man, shivering a little, though it was no longer cold.
“Yes. I am a necromancer, but not of the common kind. Where others of the art raise the Dead, I lay them back to rest. And those that will not rest, I bind. Or try to. I am Abhorsen.”
I am using all my words!
I play good. The hero always doing the right thing.
Elves, Fairies, Sidhe. Basically the unnaturally beautiful people. If I have a choice of races I will choose the most aesthetically pleasing one. Or the cat one.
Bards come first, handsome, charming, getting by with words and negotiation skills foremost. And the power of song!
Rangers come second, but the sort of ranger with a dozen animal companions! The cuter the better.
The healer third. (First on MMORPGS.) I much prefer healing to hurting stuff. And helping!
I am a do-gooder that likes helping people.
BUT! My ideal character would definitely me a stunningly beautiful ‘Elf’, who is a bard whose music is so sweet they can charm the animals into being their friend! And whose magic is turned to happy good things, like bringing joy, and healing. And somehow they still manage to save the world! Through goodness! While riding a Dragicorn!
I also always favor playing humans in anything–board games, RPGs, whatever.
I think I just like to root for the home team.
I always like playing characters with a dark secret. For example an evil other personality aka Jekyll and Hyde
Garth Nix!!! You have said the magic words that I cannot resist.
Okay, so if you love the Old Kingdom this is what you must do:
Read "Clariel"
then the original trilogy - Sabriel, Lirael, Abhorsen
Then the novella “Creature in the Case” (in the short story book “Across the wall”)
THEN the new book, “Goldenhand”.
Then you may die happy.
That is all
(but if you’re new, read “Sabriel”. It stands alone. It stands in glorious light. It is a perfect gift, too. Or “Goldenhand” if they loved the trilogy and managed not to hear there’s a 4th book)
fangirl mode powers down
I giggled at every single comment, I think.
There is a brilliant (and official) blog post at https://www.choiceofgames.com/2016/11/end-game-and-victory-design/
that every CS writer should read. It’s really hard to wrap my head around as a linear novelist because in a normal novel the whole damn point is that every goal links up. BUT to give the reader true choices, your potential goals need to be (mostly) mutually exclusive. Arg my poor brains.
But stuff like romance can have a nice bit of plot flexibility, I think. By which I mean you can have the relationship you want AND chase other goals successfully. But there’s usually a price. (I always think of the stress in “Choice of Robot” between “pay attention to your romance” and “stay late at work and do more cool robot things”.)
I love the romance parts and that’s why I play a lot of otome. I love escapism fantasy games and I like playing games whenever I’m sad or stressed out so I can feel better. I like when romance is intertwined with plot and it doesn’t feel like you married someone only for them to fall off the earth and never be seen again. I especially love the angsty best friend character that has been in love with you forever, but was too shy to tell you.
I like a bit of logic, realism, and good triumphs over evil in games.
I like a powerful MC who can control her own destiny and maybe help others.
Snap! I generally find it hard to do anything other than “good” (without going full psycho…), although I have no problems with playing a law-breaker.
Class will depend on what I’m playing. Usually in CoHGs, I go for a warrior, but in something like Dragon Age, I’ll generally go for a mage (it’s far more fun to roleplay). Racewise, I do generally just stick to human (or the most human-y race available), although I don’t usually base their appearance on myself.
So my ideal character would be a cute, good-guy warrior type who, despite ending up in a horribly dark and depressing world, somehow perseveres, wins through, and saves the day. And he gets a cute boyfriend out of it, too. 
SO MUCH RAINBOWS LOL… I prefer evil selfish rute so much fun… goddie is boring and for real life not for rp
